NIGHT, I Rin [classic book list txt] 📗

and said:

“Actually, the Goblins’ King belongs to the type of those men who never gives up. I am sure that you are down now but not out. Well, what do you think of my idea to go to the battle?”

“Good as I have no choice,” the girl sighed.

“You always knew how to make the right decisions!” Margo smiled.

“When am I leaving?”

“Take your time! First, we will wait to hear from Swein and Edward then send a messenger to the Prince of vampires and only after that we will start the war.”

“We? Are you going with us?”

“Of course, I am! I cannot let you go without me! This is because the Night Kingdom is in danger!”

“You are right,” nodded Angelica. “And who will go to the Prince of Vampires?”

“Huron! He is immortal, vampires won’t hurt him; and why are you asking, did you want to go?”

“No! I’d rather ask to send someone else, or I will do something stupid and then regret about it for all my life.”

“Good girl!”

“Margo, I would like put on my hiking clothes and give you the dress and tiara back. Thank you very much for everything!”

“Elsa will help you,” said the witch, and clapped her hands.

A minute later the goblin woman appeared in the hall.

Madam asked her to help the girl to change clothes and the maid took Lica with her. They came into the dressing room where Elsa lit candles and helped Angelica to take the ball gown off. Then she put on her own clothes, sighed and said:

“Thank you, Elsa! The dress chosen by you, had a raving success, but not me.”

“Forget about it, let’s have dinner,” smiled the goblin woman.

They went out into the hall and the maid started setting the table. They spent the whole day in household chores and waiting in vain. No news from Swein or Prince Night.

“What happened?” Lica was worried.

“Calm down, the night is yet but young!” Margo grinned. “The men should discuss everything carefully!”

However, neither today nor the next day there was news. Only a few days later a messenger from Swein came.

“In two days, the army of the Goblins’ King is going to meet the army of the Prince Edward. His Majesty asked me to tell you that the two armies will be waiting for the Prince of Vampires at the arrangement place,” said the messenger.

“It means that Huron has to set off today,” muttered the witch.

She thanked the messenger and immediately began preparations for the march. Huron, who these days almost never left Margo’s room, also began to get ready for the journey. He took a large backpack and began to put there strange, in the opinion of Angelica, things. He put some powders, rocks, plants, bottles and many other odd things.

“Why did you take so many of them?” asked the girl, pointing to the bag.

“The spells against the old evil are very complex,” said the sorcerer. “There are three stages to seal the evil in the abyss forever! With the last spell, I will put the seal on the gates connecting this and the other side with my soul. That is why I have to take so many things with me!”

For a few hours, Huron was walking up and down the cave, checking everything. Finally, he took his bag and said:

“Well, I am ready to go to the Prince of Vampires. Wish me luck, and I will meet you at the arrangement place in three days.”

Margo hugged her brother, Angelica wished Huron Godspeed with all her heart. The sorcerer went out of the cave, mounted his horse and started out.

Three days passed quickly. On the fourth day, Margo ordered Elsa to ride horses. She took her hiking bag, came to Lica’s room and said:

“Get ready, we are leaving in an hour!”

The girl immediately put on her hiking clothes, took the sword, Swein gave her, and walked out of the cave. The witch was already sitting in the saddle.

“Hurry up!” Margo said. “If we want to get to the exact enchanted path, we need to hurry!”

Angelica nodded and climbed into the saddle. The witch pulled the reins and rushed forward. Lica followed her. They were going for a long time as Margo suddenly turned off the road.

“But the last time the path leading to the Ghosts’ Fields wasn’t here!” cried the girl.

“Now they are constantly changing their position. Therefore, we must be on the lookout not to get lost!”

Suddenly a thick fog enveloped them. The witch put a finger to her lips, indicating Angelica to be silent. The girl nodded.

They were going forward, not sure where the enchanted path was leading them, but suddenly the fog began to dissipate and they heard the neighing of horses in front. Lica and Margo were in a valley, covered with tall grass. A lot of people were a far. Some of them were on horseback, some on foot...

“It looks like we got to the right place!” the witch was relieved. “We are on the Ghosts’ Fields, but only from the other side of the Sleepy Lake. This is the army ahead.”

“Then we need to go to the opposite side of the field. The meeting place is there!” Angelica said.

The rider spurred their horses and let them into a gallop to get their as soon as possible.

The beginning of the battle

When they came closer, Lica was very surprised to see a large number of soldiers. There were people and goblins all together... The vampires were a little further. Lica had never attended a military exercise, the more she had never taken part in a large scale battle. She knew about war from movies. Therefore, everything that was happening now seemed unreal to the girl. She looked at the warriors’ weapons with interest. All of them, without exception, had swords; some of them also had bows and arrows, the goblins had something looked like a stick or a club, studded with spikes. The vampires had long pikes and spears tied to their horses’ saddles.

Shortly ahead they saw the familiar spreading tree, under which Angelica immediately recognized the silhouettes of the Goblins’ King, the Prince of Vampires and the Prince Night. They were standing there, holding the reins of their horses and talking about something.

“We're almost there!” she said to the witch. “But I can’t see your brother.”

At this point, a man on a horseback went out from the mountains side.

“Look,” Margo pointed at him. “Here is Huron!”

It so happened that our heroes and the sorcerer came to the arranged place at the same time from different sides.

Prince Night and Vampires’ Prince helped the girl and the witch to get down. They kissed their hands in turn. The Goblins’ King also came up and kissed only Margo’s hand. He just slightly bowed to Angelica. The girl pretended not to notice this and all the others were so busy that did not pay any attention to it. Huron dismounted and immediately got down to the plan:

“The situation in the mountains is much worse than I thought. Some unknown bastards are everywhere in the valley and for the ritual I have to get inside the cave. Margo, I need your help, otherwise I will not be able to keep everything under control.”

“No problem, Huron!” said Edward. “We'll get your back. What will we do next?”

“The ceremony of sealing the evil forces back into the abyss consists of three stages,” said the sorcerer. “On the first step we'll unlock the barrier; Margo has put to withhold the evil in one place and so it cannot to spread throughout the Kingdom of Night. After the barrier unlocks all creatures and reptiles begin to overreach and the task of the army is not to give them to do that. On the second stage, I will open the gates into the abyss. I do not know what might happen after this, but it is likely that forces that are even more powerful may try to sneak into this world. At this stage, the troops of the Prince and the Goblins’ King had better step back, giving the opportunity to vampires give the battle, because it will be not only the physical, but also the energy confrontation. I do not think people or goblins will be able to stop them... On the third stage, I will call the elements - water, fire and air to help me. With their help, I will try to get the evil back into the deep, and sealed its gates with my soul. It is if things shape up in our favor.”

“What if not?” asked Lica.

“If not the advantage will be on the side of the evil. Then you will play it off the cuff! Is everybody agree with this strategy?”

Swein, Edward and Arthur nodded.

“Now, I ask you to give my sister and me a small group of soldiers, so that we can get to the caves and the soldiers will get our backs.”

Prince Night jumped into the saddle and immediately went to his army. Huron, the Prince of Vampires and the Goblins’ King also got in the saddles and were ready for further actions.

Angelica was expecting a sight or breath from Swein, but he was cold and indifferent to her. However, Arthur came closer to the girl and said:

“Angelica, I beg you, no matter what happens, stay away from the mountains! You’d better go back to the Sleepy Lake and wait for us there.”

Lica nodded. She couldn’t believe that it was a reality. It seemed to her that it was just a long dream.

Half an hour later Edward returned with a small group of warriors on the horses.

“These people will accompany and cover you if you need help!” he turned to Huron and Margo. “Our armies will appear immediately after you, be ready to fight. Therefore, I ask you, Prince, and you, Swein, go back to your troops and take command.”

Then the Goblins’ King got into conversation:

“I suggest the army of vampires to refrain from taking action. People and goblins can prevent all attacks of living monsters, while vampires should join the battle when ordinary creatures will be replaced by energy beings.”

“I agree with Swein,” Edward nodded.

“I don’t mind, gentlemen!” Arthur said.

He jerked the reins and went to his army. The Goblins’ King and the Prince Night also went back to their troops. The small cavalry group, led by Huron and Margo, galloped towards the mountains. The united army moved immediately behind them. The horde of people, goblins and vampires were walking and riding past Angelica. At last, she did realize that everything happening here was the reality. She panicked.

“What if they all die?!” she thought with horror. “Then I'll never see Swein or Arthur or Edward or Margo or Huron!?”

Lica did not know what to do. She remembered the words of the Vampire to stay away from the mountains and go to the Sleepy Lake but the girl was just not able to do that.

“I cannot leave my friends!” she decided.

So, when the last troops passed, Angelica went after the army. She was riding in a distance, so as not to attract anybody’s attention. It seems that everyone was so busy thinking about the battle that no one noticed her.

When the first rock appeared ahead, she tied her horse to a bush growing nearby and climbed to the top. The moon was shining brightly and everything was as plain as the nose on your face. What she saw plunged her into shock. Where before there was a flat place, now everywhere were only ravines. On the right, she saw a deep abyss, which she had never seen before. A wide valley at the entrance to the cave was cluttered with huge boulders among which horrible creatures were crawling. Some of them were like huge dinosaurs, which the girl saw in the books on zoology. Others were very different from all the beasts on the earth. The whole space was teeming with rotting bodies of these horrible creatures. Apparently, the severe fights were the usual thing there. The entrance in to